Head Kicks in Taekwondo: An Unregulated
Danger?
Amanda Gardiner
I am an underage student at LWTech, who submitted this as
my research essay for English 102. The topic of head contact is
very personal to me, as I am a 3rd degree Black Belt in
Taekwondo, and am an internationally ranked competitor in
the sport. Despite the danger I put myself through, I relish in
it every moment, and hope that one day I can enjoy it in
complete safety.
Taekwondo, a Korean martial art, is popular for its
disciplined training, flashy kicks, and diversity of activities
that appeal to a wide group of people. The practice of
Taekwondo consists of forms - which are sets of choreographed
moves, weapons, which are used in self-defense, and finally
sparring, where athletes don protective gear and fight each
other. More difficult kicks earn more points, with the person
who has the most points at the end winning the match. Ever
since Taekwondo was introduced to the Summer Olympic
Games in 1992, sparring has become more and more popular
and increasingly violent as elite and professional competitors
clash head to head in an attempt to fight in the Olympics. In
the dangerous world of elite Taekwondo sparring, recent years